How to find and vet small OTR companies

Any suggestions how to find the good small OTR reefer companies? I’ve only worked for megas. I’m currently with a company I like that has exceptional pay and benefits, but with the coming mandate I feel I should move before the rush.

 

Good luck, small reefer outfits went out in the 90's. People bash me for my lack of real world knowledge today, but megas have all but forced small outfits out. While there may be isolated reports of people finding a job like that, megas have most accounts for themselves. They can afford rates that smaller outfits can't compete with. If I was to do an O/O gig today ( when pigs fly) it would undoubtedly be a flatbed.

 

Lots of small reefer outfits. Far more small reefers than megas.

 

There are plenty of small outfits especially in Florida and the southeast.
Just make sure the owners are not balancing their finances on the backs of their drivers.
In other words, pay close attention to your paycheck and reimbursements.

 

Might as well stay put.....you're only prolonging the inevitable. Now to answer your question, I have had success finding smaller companies on craigslist. Now many of which, they are 1099 companies so you will have to be discerning in how you decide which company is a fit. I agree with another poster though. Those mom and pop companies are few and far between. There was one in Nashville that had been in business forever, some of you may recall Howard Baer, Inc. They went under a couple of years ago. They said elogs, and a piss poor safety score did them in. Those are some of those things that can cause a company to not necessarily have the longevity that the powerhouses in the industry do.

 

What part of the country are you in? There are small reefer outfits in the Midwest that run hoods and such. Mike Habeck out of Belle Fourche SD, Western Provisions out of Sioux Falls. Just have to look around and see what’s out there. There are far far more small reefer outfits than there are mega reefer outfits.

 

I’m in deep rural Arizona.

 

You might be right about staying put. It’s a gamble. Maybe the company I’m with will offer a form of weekly testing that is logically possible and not too cumbersome or costly to productively. I’ll play it by ear. I might also just take a local job or quit working altogether.

 

Most definitely. You said exceptional pay and benefits is offered by your current company. As high as everything is, exceptional pay is necessary!!

 

Where I live exceptional pay is not needed but it sure make planning retirement a hell of a lot easier.

 

Stay where you are. These "mandates" are a distraction.